Otago student dies in house party crush before end-of-year exams

Death puts binge drinking culture back in the spotlight

New Zealand’s campus drinking culture is likely to come under scrutiny again after a 19-year-old University of Otago student died at a Dunedin house party attended by more than 500 people.

Local media are reporting that the party was organised by students as “a blowout” in the lead-up to end-of-year exams and that many partygoers appeared to be “extremely intoxicated”. News photographs and videos also show empty alcohol cans and bottles littering the street outside the house.